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Boston Red Sox second baseman Dustin Pedroia smiles during warm-ups for baseball game against the Tampa Bay Rays at Fenway Park in Boston on Tuesday, July 23, 2013. All-Star second baseman Pedroia is close to a contract that could keep him with the Red Sox for his entire big league career. A person with knowledge of the talks said Tuesday that Pedroia is in the process of agreeing to a deal adding $100 million over seven seasons through 2021. The person spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity because the agreement was not yet complete. (AP Photo/Elise Amendola)

If the Red Sox thought the contract extension they gave Dustin Pedroia would keep him in Boston for the rest of his career, they may have actually underestimated the tenacity that made the diminutive second baseman a star.

"I don't know if I'll be done by then, man. I feel good, dude," he said after signing an eight-year, $110-million contract extension that would keep him in a Red Sox uniform until the age of 38. "Maybe I haven't had my growth spurt, and I'll get taller."

The Red Sox announced their new deal with the 2008 AL MVP before Wednesday night's game against the Tampa Bay Rays. At a table set up in front of the team's dugout, general manager Ben Cherington, manager John Farrell and Pedroia talked about Pedroia's contributions as a hitter and fielder but also as a leader in the clubhouse.

"He's the straw that stirs the drink," Farrell said. "He sets the tone for our workday. There's a pretty strong sentiment that if you practice at full speed, you're going to become a better player."

Pedroia had been scheduled to receive $10 million next season under his old deal, which also had an option for '15 at $11 million. The new deal starts next season and runs through 2021.

"This place is the only place I've known since I started playing professional baseball, and it's my home," said Pedroia, who was selected by the Red Sox in the second round of the 2014 draft. "I can't wait to be here and put on that uniform every day. It means a lot to me to be with my teammates and represent the city in the right way."

A 5-foot-8, 165-pound infielder who was the AL Rookie of the Year in 2007, when the Red Sox won their second World Series in four seasons, and MVP the next year, Pedroia has grown into his role as a team leader. Cherington said that was the reason the team agreed to the long-term deal — reportedly with a full no-trade clause.

"This contract does represent an exception for us, and as we told Dustin in spring training, he's absolutely the right person to make an exception for," Cherington said. "It was the right thing to keep him here."

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